Chapter 3 - The Collapse of an Alliance
"What did you just say?" Senator Robles' voice thundered through the speakerphone, rattling the crystal pendants of the chandelier overhead. "You arrogant young fool! You think you can toy with the Robles name? I will crush your company before the stock market opens!"
Paulina smiled triumphantly, her confidence rushing back. "You heard him, Daddy. Destroy him. Take back every cent we invested in Villaseñor Group."
Diego didn't flinch. He walked over to the mahogany console by the entrance, picked up his leather briefcase, and pulled out a thick, legal-bound folder. He tossed it onto the marble floor, where it slid and stopped right at Paulina’s feet.
"Before you talk about destroying my company, Senator," Diego said calmly into the phone, "you might want to check the forensic audit reports my legal team finalized late last night."
A heavy pause hung over the line.
"What audit?" Senator Robles asked, a sudden edge of unease creeping into his tone.
"The audit tracking the embezzlement of municipal funds through the Santa Fe construction projects," Diego explained, his voice even and clinical. "It turns out your shell companies have been funneling bribe money through my development accounts for the past three years. Copies of these documents, complete with your digital signatures and bank transfers, are currently sitting on the desk of the federal prosecutor downtown."
The color completely drained from Paulina’s face. She stared down at the folder on the floor as if it were a venomous snake.
"You're... you're lying," Paulina stammered, her knees suddenly feeling weak. "You wouldn't... we're family—"
"We were never family," Diego interrupted coldly. "You were an arrangement my board pushed me into to secure political favor. An arrangement I tolerated until today. But the moment you threatened an innocent child in my home, you crossed a line you can never come back from."
"Diego, please," Senator Robles' voice changed instantly, dripping with sudden desperation. "Let's not do something rash. We can sit down, we can talk about this quietly—"
"The conversation is over, Senator," Diego said. "Tell your security detail to pack Paulina’s things before my men throw them out onto the driveway. And if I ever see either of you near Marisol or my daughter again, the federal prosecutor won't be the only one getting these files."
Diego hung up the phone.
The screen went dark. The grand hall was dead silent, save for the faint ticking of the antique grandfather clock near the library doors.
Paulina looked around the room, her high-and-mighty demeanor completely shattered. The guards who had bowed to her yesterday now stared straight ahead, refusing to meet her eyes. The house staff stood at a respectful distance, watching her downfall with quiet vindication.
May you like
Without another word, Paulina turned on her heel and sprinted up the stairs toward her suite, sobbing tears of pure humiliation and rage.
Diego watched her go, then let out a long, heavy breath. He turned back around, facing the kitchen entrance where Marisol and Valentina still stood.
